


Staring Back At Me

by Firebull



Series: Yugiotober + Whumptober 2019 [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Yubel, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 01:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20845607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firebull/pseuds/Firebull
Summary: There had been something nagging at the back of his mind throughout the whole duel. Like he was missing something blatantly obvious. Something that he of all people should know.For Yugiotober + Whumptober 2019 Day 1: Your Fave & Shaky Hands





	Staring Back At Me

Judai closed the door to his dorm room with a bang. He winced at the sound, but couldn't bring himself to care further. It wan't like there was anyone around who would judge him for it. Most people were still hanging around the main building, still riled up about what just happened. 

He had barely managed to slip away. There was no way he could've stayed there. Not after- not after Darkness. His hands shook the whole time, which thankfully went unnoticed. He didn't know how he would've dealt with their questions. How could he even begin to explain that to them? How could he explain Darkness when he hadn't even told them the full truth about Yubel? About himself?

So he slipped away. He was aware that at some point he had called O'Brien to make sure he was okay, but the rest of the way was a blur. The shaking got worse, taking over his whole body. By the time he reached his door he could barely stand. He leaned back against the door and let himself slide to the floor. His vision swam black and it took him a few moments to notice that- oh, that darkness came from him.

Yubel appeared in front of him, their hands cupping his face. As warm as always, but way more solid than usual. And hadn't _that_ been an unwelcome revelation to learn just how dependent he already grew on them? How, even now that they shared a soul, all it took was Darkness muting their bond to make Judai feel like that little boy that couldn't remember large parts of his life whenever someone asked specific questions?

But he could deal with that. He could deal with being codependent on Yubel. Hell, it even came naturally after fusing with them. Their hearts and minds open to one another. Yubel was the only one who would ever truly know him and he was the only one who would ever truly know Yubel. So it was within the feeling of Yubel being back where they belonged and scales against his skin that he allowed himself to fully absorb what he had seen. 

There had been something nagging at the back of his mind throughout the whole duel. Like he was missing something blatantly obvious. Something that he of all people should know. But there had been too much going on to take a longer breather and just think about something other than the duel at hand and saving humanity. And then- and then Darkness' hood fell off and he got a good look at Darkness' face.

_His_ face. 

The face he'd originally had been created with. The one he had before the Light of Ruin rose and killed him that first time. Before he swore to the Gentle Darkness that he would fight until that Light was no more. Before it created a new body, a new face for him to go to war with. He'd been thankful for it, still was really, for he'd rather get used to a whole new him than deal with seeing his own face drenched in the blood of his enemies. 

For so long Judai had thought that his original face would remain nothing but a fond memory he shared with the spirits that withstood the test of time. So how... how did Darkness acquire it? Possibilities ran through his mind, one more unlikely than the other. The only thing he truly knew was that he had to get to the abandoned dorm and-

"Judai."

The sound of his name snapped him back to the present. Right back to Yubel's concerned eyes. He felt their building worry at his thoughts. Of course he couldn't do that. No matter how much he wanted to get his face back from Darkness he of all people couldn't be the one to give Darkness power again. Not when Darkness had barely left this world. 

"I won't," he promised. It was a weak promise, but he would try his best to stay true to it.

Wordlessly, Yubel pulled him off the door so he was leaning against them. He buried his face in their chest as wings wrapped him in a protective cocoon. His hands dug into scales, desperate for something to hold onto. Arms pulled him closer and lips softly touched his forehead. Judai sighed and let himself get lost in Yubel's warmth. 

He would need to get off this island as soon as he possibly could and get as far away from temptation. But for now, this was enough.


End file.
